The point is well taken. Movies love the dramatic stuff, but the reality is far more mundane. Thanks to decades of adequate building codes in California, almost everybody will survive during "The Big One." Not until later will the problems really begin.

Infrastructure damage, including damaged runways, roadways, overpasses, port facilities, railroad tracks, aqueducts, water mains, sewers and the power grid, and the consequences of all that, are likely to be a major cause of loss of life, if not the major cause, along with all sorts of general hardship and misery.

The danger of the uncontrolled, uncontrollable spread of fire cannot be overstated, not in California. Rescue and emergency operations, and casualty evacuation, will be greatly hindered and delayed by the inability to get in, move around and get out as needed. But so will all the more mundane tasks of providing the necessities of life to millions of survivors, including food, shelter, sanitation, basic medicines and medical care, and, especially, drinking water, literally millions of gallons of it, along with untold tons of other supplies.

It will constitute a massive, prolonged, and enormously expensive relief operation. Thinking about the possibilities boggles my mind. Doubtless, when this happens, I will play my tiny, insignificant little part, along with many thousands of other professionals.

All this should bring home the immense value of even minimal, affordable individual and family preparedness. It also justifies doing a bit more than that. Organizing communities for early self-aid is an excellent first line of defense, whether based on neighborhoods, church communities, or other bases. You friends and neighbors are always and inevitably the real "First Responders," since they're already there before the other guys and gals can hope to reach you.

Thinking outside the box, there's a lot that individuals may be able to do. There are, for instance, lots of backyard swimming pools in Southern California. I wonder, if their owners were to invest in gas-powered water pumps and some smaller diameter fire hose, how many homes, neighborhoods and even lives might be spared by the early extinguishment of the many small fires likely to occur?